Simply Captivating
by Steel Fairy
Summary: College parties really weren't within Mario's comfort zone, and he'd only gone in the hopes of making some new friends. However, he never actually expected to bond with someone there, someone who seemingly understood exactly where he was coming from. Human!SonicxMario. College AU. Twoshot.
1. One

**AN: I usually don't take requests from people, but one of my real life friends wanted to see a college AU with this pairing with the only condition being that Sonic had to be a human. So I naturally took the challenge, and this is the final result. And as a warning, there's some mild suggestive material and what could be seen as some OOCness, as I had to write these guys as if they were normal humans and not heroes that save the world on a daily basis. So if you're still here, all I ask is that you please enjoy and let me know what you think!  
**

* * *

 _~Simply Captivating~_

To say that Mario was bored was the understatement of the century.

Another quiet sigh left his lips as his gaze flicked over the partygoers, most of which were drunk out of their minds and had resorted to sloppily making out with each other as loud music thumped from the speakers. He wasn't even sure what had possessed him to attend this party in the first place, other than the fact that he'd maybe thought that he could make some new friends. Needless to say, he'd been wrong.

 _'I should just leave,'_ Mario thought as he stepped aside in order to let a fellow student access the trash can, wincing in disgust as he heard her become violently sick in it. ' _I'm not having any fun and no one's talked to me all night.'  
_

"Hey."

Startled, Mario jumped at the new voice, turning and seeing that an unfamiliar student had sidled up next to him, quietly snickering at the response he'd gotten out of Mario. Mario eyed him suspiciously, before giving him the benefit of the doubt and replying to him.

"Uh... hi?"

The student snickered again, a smirk on his face. "Man, you really _weren't_ expectin' anyone to talk with ya, huh?"

Mario bristled. "How did you-"

"I've been watchin' ya for quite some time. Not in a creepy way or anythin', but you looked really bored over here by yourself. So, I thought I'd give ya some company."

Mario was still a bit hesitant about talking to the stranger, thinking he was drunk. However, searching his face proved that his eyes were clear - quite unlike the glazed looks everyone else in the room seemed to have. Relaxing, Mario allowed himself to smile. "Well, _grazie_. I'm Mario, by the way."

"Mario..." he repeated. "That's an Italian name, right? And considerin' you just spoke in Italian, I'm guessin' you're Italian."

"Half," Mario explained. "My mother's Italian, my father's not."

"Huh," was the response he got, before he facepalmed. "Oh, sorry, you can call me Sonic, by the way."

"That's an... exotic name." Mario commented, while Sonic rolled his eyes.

"It's a _nickname,"_ he sighed. "My real name is far less cool, so I go with the nickname I got in elementary school."

Mario laughed, before allowing himself to really get a good look at Sonic. The first thing that stood out was his hair, which was not only perfectly styled, but dyed cobalt blue, providing a nice contrast with his slightly tanned skin. In fact, blue seemed to be his favourite colour as almost his entire outfit consisted of it - from the sports jacket he wore to his blue jeans. The only things that were different were his red running shoes, and a single red hoop in his left ear.

"Well geez, I know I'm eye-catching, but you don't need to stare so hard! In fact, would you like a picture, it may last longer." Sonic slyly pointed out, Mario's face going red in embarrassment.

"I wasn't... I mean... I wasn't looking at you that way!" Mario stammered.

"So you don't find me attractive?" Sonic questioned. Mario panicked, wondering if he'd offended Sonic by saying that.

"No... you... look very nice..." Mario backpedaled, Sonic quirking an eyebrow.

"Ah, so you _do_ find me attractive?" he teased, causing Mario to turn a bright shade of red.

"I..."

He trailed off as Sonic began to laugh, before realizing that he'd been messing with him the whole time.

"Yeah, I definitely made the right decision to come over here and talk to you," he chuckled, before eyeing Mario in curiosity. "So, what's the story behind why you're here?"

"I don't really know," Mario admitted. "I thought it would be a fun social gathering, but as you apparently already know, I wasn't really having a lot of fun."

"Yeah, to tell ya the truth, I don't really want to be here either. Pit forced me an' Red to come along to be his wingmen, but it's really not workin' out very well," he pointed to two brown-haired students, one dressed in a white hoodie with fake angel wings protruding from the back, the other dressed in a red shirt and hat with blue jeans. "An' before you ask, no, that's not their real names either. You'd need to be a special kind of messed up to name your kids after a hole in the ground an' a primary colour."

"So I haven't seen you around campus before," Mario noted. "What kind of courses are you taking?"

"Things involving music," Sonic replied. "I've always been sorta interested in that kinda thing, plus I'm learnin' to play the guitar. You?"

"I'm studying to be a doctor."

"Like, science doctor, or doctor doctor?"

"The latter." Mario replied, amused by Sonic's unique way of saying things.

"M'kay, so from a doctors perspective, how many people in this room will pass out from alcohol consumption?"

"From what I've seen, most of them, including your winged friend over there." Mario dryly pointed out, Sonic snickering and running a hand through his hair.

"Oh, Pit's not drunk. That's just how he always is."

"He always acts like he just consumed a large amount of sugar?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Sonic confirmed. "A bright ball of optimism, that one. So much different from his killjoy brother."

Mario grinned, before he sighed. "Look, it's been fun talking to you, but I should probably go. I have a test coming up and I should probably get some studying in."

"Oh," Sonic mumbled, disappointment clear in his tone. "Well, will you at least let me walk you to your dorm?"

It suddenly hit Mario like a ton of bricks that Sonic had been flirting with him this entire time. Strangely, he wasn't bothered in the slightest by this new development, and he realized in that moment that he really didn't want to stop talking to him. "Sure," he replied, Sonic brightening at his confirmation.

"Perfect!" he cheerfully exclaimed, before looking around the room in order to find his friends. "Yo, Red! I'm leavin'!"

Red quickly glanced in Sonic's direction, raising a hand before turning back towards Pit who was currently attempting to flirt with a tall, blonde woman who wasn't giving him the time of day. Rolling his eyes, Sonic playfully shoved Mario towards the door. "C'mon, let's get outta here."

Mario immediately felt his anxiety levels drop the moment him and Sonic had exited the dorm room, the music had been starting to grind on his nerves and the amount of people was making him a bit uncomfortable.

"Ugh, finally away from that horrible music!" Sonic exclaimed, and Mario couldn't help but laugh out loud at Sonic's remark.

"I was just thinking the same thing." he chuckled, Sonic giving him an amused look.

"Not a fan of pop, I take it? Yeah, me neither. Rock an' roll is where it's at for me."

"I prefer classical myself."

Sonic hummed, before his green gaze fell onto Mario. "So where's your dorm? Is it in this building, or...?"

"It's a couple buildings over, a few floors up."

"Then I guess we should get goin' then."

The two began to walk down the hallway to the stairwell, Sonic turning to Mario after a moment.

"So what year did you graduate highschool?"

"2013." Mario replied with no hesitation, Sonic taking a moment to do the math in his head.

"So that would make you... twenty..."

"One," Mario completed. "Twenty-one, twenty-two in September."

"Cool. I'll be nineteen in June."

The two lapsed into silence again, before Sonic decided to ask another question.

"So, have you got any family 'sides your parents?"

"I have a twin brother named Luigi. He's also studying to become a doctor."

"Here?" Sonic questioned. Mario nodded.

"Yes, though we're unfortunately not roommates. He seems to get along with the one he's got though, so that's a relief."

"I have an adopted little brother named Miles in middle school," Sonic murmured. "He's real smart too, already inventing things like the little genius he is."

"Adopted?" Mario questioned. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to his family?" Mario asked, Sonic's face going grim.

"Fire." he responded in a low tone. "Poor kid was the only survivor from the accident," he reached out to pull open the door of the stairwell. "It was-"

He stopped himself as two students were making out in the stairwell, both of them pulling away and faces scarlet as they noticed Mario and Sonic standing there.

"Uh... go on ahead," the girl stammered, adjusting her top. "This... wasn't what it looked like, I swear!"

"Yeah!" the boy chimed in, as Mario and Sonic silently wandered past them and hurried down the stairs, not saying anything more until they were safely out of earshot.

"So... I'm not imagining things when I say that those two looked like each other, right?" Sonic questioned.

"No, they looked like they could have been siblings."

"Oh god, maybe they were!" Sonic laughed.

"Is that what she meant by it wasn't what it looked like?"

"Maybe." Sonic pondered, before the two burst into loud laughter as they exited the building and began to walk in the direction of Mario's dorm building. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived outside of Mario's room, Mario hesitating as he turned his key in his hands.

"So... _grazie_ for the company tonight." he started, Sonic shrugging.

"Dude, I should be thankin' you! I had a lot more fun chillin' with you than with my own friends."

A moment of silence passed where neither of them said or did anything, Sonic eventually gazing at Mario in curiosity.

"So... you better get inside and get started on that studyin'. Unless there's a reason you don't want to all of a sudden."

"Can I get your number?" Mario blurted, Sonic blinking in shock before smirking.

"Yeah, sure," he replied casually, fishing around in his pockets for a pen and paper. "Don't actually have my phone on me, left it charging on my desk and totally forgot about it when I left with Pit an' Red." Scrawling the number on the paper, he handed it off to Mario. "Here."

 _"Grazie..."_ Mario went to take the paper, before his eyes met Sonic's. The two just gazed at each other for a moment, something changing in Sonic's eyes.

It took a few seconds for Mario to comprehend the fact that they were suddenly kissing, without really knowing how they'd started. All he knew was that Sonic had his arms around his neck, Mario was pulling him in closer, and neither party wanted to pull away.

Eventually the two broke for air momentarily before returning to their previous activity of making out in the middle of the hallway. They would have stayed that way for much longer if it wasn't for someone clearing their throat, the kiss breaking as they turned their heads towards the sound.

"I thought I heard something out here," a blond man dressed in green dryly stated, gaze focused on Mario. "Geez dude, at least I wait until me and Zel are in private to start sucking face."

Mario only laughed nervously as his roommate shut the door in order to give him and Sonic some privacy. "I guess I should probably get in there." he mumbled.

"Yeah, I take it it's not every day you're caught making out with someone in the hall?"

"No."

"Well, I guess you've got some explain' to do then," Sonic paused for a moment before continuing. "Y'know, call me an' let's hang out sometime. I'm free tomorrow, actually."

"Sure." Mario agreed. Sonic smirked, leaning in and giving Mario one last peck on the lips.

"I'll see you around then, Mar."

Mario watched, dumbfounded, as Sonic made his way down the hall before composing himself and stepping into his dorm room, his roommate giving him a cheeky look.

"So I take it you had a lot more fun at that party then you originally anticipated?"

"As a matter of fact Link, I did." Mario confirmed, placing the scrap of paper with Sonic's number next to his phone.

"So who exactly was that?" Link questioned. "Someone you met at the party, I take it?"

"His nickname's Sonic. Yes, I met him at the party, and we sort of hit it off."

"I couldn't tell," Link muttered sarcastically, before gazing at Mario curiously. "So are you seeing him again?"

"Maybe tomorrow." Mario confirmed, Link raising an eyebrow.

"Man, you two really did hit it off. I'll just say that in the future, if you happen to bring him back to the dorm, leave a sock on the door so I know to come back later."

"Link!" Mario hissed, face red in embarrassment.

"Well, it's Roommate Courtesy 101, dude! I leave socks on the door when I have Zel over, so I expect you to do the same."

"Who's to say that I'm even bringing him here in the future? We're not even dating, and even if we do who's to say that-"

Link shut Mario up with a look, Mario staring down at the ground below. "I'll keep that in mind." he mumbled.

"Good." Link then eyed the clock and sighed. "Well, I'm going to bed. If you want to study, go for it, just turn some of the lights out."

With that Link left for the bathroom while Mario grabbed his books and began to study. And while he did get about an hour in, he found that he was having a bit of a hard time concentrating thanks to the events that had transpired that night. Sighing, he flicked off the rest of the lights and decided to call it a night. He could study another time.

/~/

When Mario woke the next morning, he found himself alone in the dorm room. Checking the clock, Mario could see why - it was already eleven in the morning. Good thing he didn't have any classes today. Sighing, he reached for his phone, his eyes falling on Sonic's number in the process. Hesitating, Mario grabbed the slip of paper, and after studying it for a moment dialed the number and waiting as the phone rang once... twice... three times... four...

"Yeah?"

Mario smiled at Sonic's voice. "Uh, hey Sonic."

"Is that you, Mar?"

"Yeah, it's me. So, uh, you said you're free today, right?"

"I sure am." Sonic confirmed, a hint of a smirk in his voice.

"So, I was wondering... would you maybe like to get a coffee with me...?"

There was a long pause on the other end. Mario's heart hammered as he waited for Sonic's response. Eventually, he heard Sonic lightly chuckle, before he got his actual answer.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that."


	2. Two

**AN: So remember my friend who dared me to write the first part of this? Blame him for this part too.  
**

* * *

The café they were meeting at was just off campus, in a little strip mall that was almost always occupied by other college students. Mario stood outside the café, tugging nervously at the cuff of his red and blue hoodie. He hadn't worn anything fancy, it was just a coffee date after all. A coffee date with somebody very attractive that less than twelve hours ago he'd been making out with after having what, a half hour conversation?

Out of all the ways he thought he'd get a date, he hadn't envisioned this in the slightest.

"Hey Mar."

Mario jumped and looked next to him where Sonic had managed to sneak up on him, chuckling at yet another priceless reaction he'd gotten out of Mario. "Man, are you always this jumpy?" he asked, playfully shoving Mario's shoulder. "Or are my unbelievably good looks makin' you nervous?"

"Neither," Mario replied lightly as he opened the door to the café, letting Sonic step through before he entered through the door. "You just caught me off-guard, that's all."

Sonic hummed as he scanned the menu allowing Mario to take a peek at Sonic, with his perfect hair that he must have used an entire tube of hair gel on to keep it in place. He was wearing the same Chaos-branded sports jacket like the night before, though he spied a band t-shirt underneath that he couldn't quite make out the name of.

"Enjoying the view?" Sonic slyly questioned, and Mario sheepishly lifted his head to find Sonic smirking at him with a hand on his hip. "The menu's up _there,_ by the way." he informed with a snicker and Mario rolled his eyes, lifting his eyes to the menu.

"I was curious about the shirt you were wearing." Mario replied, which wasn't a total lie after all. Sonic glanced down with an "ah" and removed his jacket, showing off the shirt beneath which displayed a band Mario hadn't heard of before.

"Ever heard their stuff?" Sonic asked, and Mario shook his head as Sonic slipped back into his jacket. "Dude, they're one of the best rock bands. Remind me to play you some of their stuff sometime, it's great."

Mario nodded as they reached the front of the line, with Mario ordering a small coffee and Sonic ordering an iced latte. Moving aside to wait for their drinks Mario gazed at Sonic curiously. "So, question."

"Yeah?"

"How long had you been watching me last night?"

It was Sonic's turn to look embarrassed as he looked down at his shoes. "Uh... pretty much the whole time you were there? I mean, I saw you walk in, an' you kinda just... migrated to that one corner an' stayed there. So for one, I was makin' sure that nothin' bad was gonna happen to ya, an' two... I was tryin' to come up with a good pick-up line."

"It took you nearly two hours to come up with a pick-up line?" Mario dryly commented. Sonic only shrugged.

"Well hey, I _was_ there with my crazy friends. Well, Red's not so bad, he just likes tellin' horror stories. Pit on the other hand is, well, _Pit._ There's really no other way to describe him."

"Are they your roommates?" Mario asked as the blue-haired girl behind the counter handed them their drinks and they went and sat at a booth near the back of the cafe.

"No," Sonic replied, taking a sip of his latte. "Though I am friends with my roommates, they're pretty cool. Rock is into robotics, and Pac is into 3D modeling." he flashed Mario a grin. "But enough about my roommates. We're on a _date,_ an' since we got family out of the way yesterday... where are you from?"

"Toad Town, in the Mushroom Kingdom." Mario responded, to which Sonic raised his eyebrows.

"That's pretty far..." he murmured. "Y'know, I've always wanted to visit there. What's it like?"

"Toad Town is pretty small," Mario described. "Only about 1,000 in population, and there are forests everywhere. Tourism is pretty high though thanks to Peach's Castle, and there's always festivals being held." Mario gestured towards Sonic. "So where are you from?"

Sonic frowned, stirring the straw in his drink. "I was born on Christmas Island, though we didn't live there very long as my father hops around a lot thanks to his work. That's kind of been the situation my whole life, but I'd consider Station Square to be the place I grew up considerin' we lived there the longest."

"What work does your father do?" Mario inquired, and Sonic gripped his cup tighter as a shadow cast over his face.

"Y'know the robot factories all around the world, Eggman Industries?" when he received a confirming nod from Mario, Sonic continued, "Well, you're lookin' at the next heir to the throne, so to speak."

Mario reeled back in shock as all the information he knew about the franchise was pushed to the front of his mind. "Y-You're father is the mastermind behind Eggman Industries?"

"Sure is," Sonic bitterly replied. "But don't think for a _second_ that I'm anythin' like him, 'cause I'm _not._ Hell, I'm supposed to be studyin' business or somethin', but screw that! I'm takin' control of my own life, followin' my own interests, an' once Miles is eighteen I'm gettin' us far away from anythin' related to our father."

Mario nodded, and after a moment of hesitation reached across the table to pat Sonic's arm. "I think it's good that you're following your own passion. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Sonic smirked into his latte before he lifted his eyes to meet Mario's. "Let's get outta here."

"What?"

"Let's go back to my dorm. My roommates aren't around right now an' it gives me a chance to let you hear some of this band on my shirt. Waddaya say?"

Mario felt a blush creep onto his cheeks and a smile crossed his face. "Sure, that sounds nice."

/~/

The common room in the dorm was surprisingly clean. Mario took in the simple furniture, the tan couch in front of the CRT TV with a few game consoles on the shelving unit. "A Genesis?" Mario asked. "Yours?"

"Sure is!" Sonic grinned. "Though Rock uses it as well sometimes. The NES is his, an' the Atari is Pac's."

"I grew up playing the NES." Mario fondly remembered. Sonic gave him a sly look.

"An NES fan, are ya? I guess that makes us rivals, huh?"

"I suppose it does." Mario mused, both him and Sonic giving each other a glare before they both snickered and Sonic pointed towards a door with a tattered poster of an emerald.

"That's my room in there. C'mon, let's go."

Even though the common room was clean, the same couldn't be said for Sonic's room. Papers were scattered all over the desk and floor surrounding it, while a pile of hoodies was stacked on a chair in the corner. A stereo with a stack of CD's was next to the bed, and a guitar case was propped against one of the walls.

"Here," Sonic grabbed one of the CD's and placed it in the stereo, turning the volume up a bit and flopping down on the bed, motioning for Mario to join him. When he noticed Mario hesitating he rolled his eyes. "I don't bite unless you want me to."

Mario snorted and sunk down onto the bed with Sonic, listening to the music playing from the speakers. "So... what exactly are we?"

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked, and Mario ran a hand through his hair.

"I mean... was this date a one-off thing and we'll just be friends from now on, or is this going to be something more?"

"Why, are ya seein' someone else?" Sonic pried. Mario shook his head.

"No, you?"

"Not currently. An' if I'm bein' honest, I don't want this to be a one-off thing. Even though we haven't spent much time together I _like_ spendin' time with ya, and to be honest... I wouldn't mind ya as a boyfriend."

Mario blinked. His mouth ran dry and he could swear that his heart was trying to leap out of his chest. His mind raced and without thinking about it he closed the gap between him and Sonic. And while Sonic's eyes widened momentarily, they fell shut a moment later as he brought Mario in closer to himself.

"So uh, is that a yes?" Sonic panted when they finally broke. Mario couldn't help but chuckle.

"Because the spontaneous kissing wasn't enough of a clue for you?"

"Well hey, I was just checkin'!" Sonic defended, placing his hands up. "You could've accidentally fallen onto me and our lips just happened to be in the collision course!"

"Of course it's _sì."_ Mario replied, and Sonic quirked an eyebrow.

"Ooh, so does that mean I'll start pickin' up on some Italian by bein' around you?"

Mario simply smirked and pressed his lips against Sonic's again, all while the music still thumped from the stereo. "I like this band." Mario hummed during a quick pause.

"Yeah, an' you'll always remember what you were doin' the first time you heard them." Sonic laughed as he leaned against the headrest and pulled Mario on top of him, crashing their lips together again. Sonic's head hit the pillow as he tugged at the zipper on Mario's hoodie while Mario made a move to take off his jacket...

And the spell was broken when they both heard the front door of the dorm open, and Sonic - slightly disappointed - sighed and gave Mario an apologetic look. "An' that would be one of my roommates," he groaned, sitting up and fixing his clothes and hair while Mario got off the bed and zipped his hoodie back up, his face a light tint of pink. Sonic turned the music down and stood, clasping his hand in Mario's. "So c'mon, new boyfriend of mine. I guess it's time to introduce yourself to my friends."


End file.
